Page images
PDF
EPUB

in the glorious plan of the Deity, they are all circumscribed by HIS superior wisdom, power, and goodness; the development of which will be the labours of our future lectures.

80

LECTURE IV.

The soul that sinneth, it shall die. EZEK. xviii. 4.

I AM this evening to speak of sin: its nature; its demerits; and its consequences.

That all mankind, generally speaking, as has been already observed, are sinners, both scripture and daily experience evince; and as sinners, it is equally true that all receive the wages of sin, which is death; the soul that sinneth, it shall die. All will agree, therefore, that to palliate sin, or to deny its existence, would be of no use; but would rather tend to extend its baneful influence. But while we would avoid this, on the one hand, so we should equally avoid magnifying it on the other; for this, so far from being of any use to the sinner, will only tend to drive him into despair.

The Christian clergy, for many centuries, have been generally agreed in the opinion, that sin, in its nature, is infinite, being committed against an infinite Being. On this principle, however, all propor tion in the degrees of sin is destroyed; for all sin is against God, who alone is infinite; i. e. as much so as any. But it is on this ground, and this only, that any one has ever attempted to prove that the demerits of sin are infinite, or that it deserves infinite punishment. The futility of these arguments, however, I am happy in believing, begins to appear; and in proportion as the light of divine truth breaks in upon the understanding, such absurd notions will be exploded. The child of two years old, who disobeys its parent, is a transgressor, no less

than the one who is much older; but who would attach equal demerit to both? yet both sin equally against the parent.

In treating of the nature of sin, I shall endeavour to be as concise as possible; and yet be sufficiently plain, so as to be understood. "Sin," saith an inspired apostle, "is the transgression of the law,” (1 John, iii. 4.) Sin, therefore, presupposes the existence of a law; and a law presupposes à legislator or lawgiver, whose intention in legislation, or giving the law, is supposed to have been thwarted, in order for the law to take cognizance of sin. For if the intention of the law (in which word I now include the lawgiver) be not thwarted, in what does the sin consist? What is the transgression of a law, if it be not acting contrary to the intention and design of the lawgiver or legislator? This will lead us to perceive at once, that God cannot be considered, in any direct sense, the legislator of that law which is transgressed by sin. For, to suppose which, we must suppose that his intentions, in the same direct sense, to have been thwarted; i. e. have become abortive! But who will undertake to say this? The moment we admit it, we admit that God himself is not infinite! which supposition involves the mind at once in such a labyrinth, as from which nothing can extricate it. For it is at once changing the glory of the infinite and unchangeable JEHOVAH into that which would be no better than an image, made like to corruptible man. Infinity can have no opposition. For that which is opposed is limited by that which opposes it.

Then, says the objector, there is not, neither can there be, any such thing as sin in the universe; as nothing can successfully oppose God.

But, stop! my dear sir, not so hasty! Would it not be more rational to say that sin is something very different from what has been generally suppos

[ocr errors]

ed, than to say, if sin be not what has been supposed, then sin does not exist? For sin may exist, and be exceeding sinful too, and yet not be what thousands have imagined.

I shall therefore proceed directly to show what law is violated by sin; and also, who is the lawgiver or legislator of that law.

The law of a man's own understanding (which may be termed the law of God in the heart, because a man's own understanding is from God) is the law which is transgressed by sin. Any other law than that which exists in the understanding of man, is a law which exists in God, only, and therefore is a law which God alone can fulfil. Man is not amenable to such a law; it being above his capacity to understand. There would be more propriety in supposing children amenable, i. e. accountable, to the laws of the state, than to suppose finite beings amenable to that law by which God governs the universe. Now if sin cannot be proved, without admitting that that law which exists alone in God, and by which he governs the universe, has been thwarted, and in the committing of which his intentions and purposes are violated, it would be impossible to prove the existence of sin. For, on this supposition, sin can only be nominal, or ideal, but not real; as the real purposes of God are by no means frustrated by sin.

If sin, therefore, be a violation of the law of our own understanding, the next question is, who is the lawgiver? or who is the legislator of this law?Answer: The law itself being the "imperfect knowledge men have of moral good;" the legislator, or lawgiver, in all moral and accountable beings, must be a capacity to understand, connected with the causes and means of knowledge, which standing or existing on finite and limited principles, will justify my supposition, that sin, in its nature, ought to be considered finite and limited, rather than in

1

finite and unlimited, as has by many been supposed."*

A man's own conscience, which is the result of all the knowledge he possesses, from whatever source obtained, is the legislator of that law which is violated whenever he commits sin. Hence the apostle says, "When the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves; their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another." (Rom. ii. 14, 15.)

The Jews, also, which had the law, must have been governed by the same general rule; because the law is taken into the account of their "means of knowledge;" (see above;) and therefore, according to the principle laid down, helps to make up their conscience.This, therefore, does not alter the general definition which we have given to the word conscience; viz. it is the result of all the knowledge which a man possesses. This knowledge, being imperfect in all imperfect beings, shows that the law itself produced by it must be imperfect; and therefore this law may be, and often is, transgressed by the very acts through which the perfect law of God is fulfilled. This fact may be beautifully and clearly illustrated by the history of Joseph; the crucifixion of Jesus; and many other memorable events on sacred record. The law of the understanding, or of the conscience, which is the law of God in the heart, is transgressed, whenever, by the influence of temptation, or from any

* See Ballou on Atonement, p. 15, 16. I would here remark, that the substance of the whole of this article, as well as much of what I shall have to say in my next lecture, is taken from that excellent and unanswerable work. And I hope that what is here stated will be an inducement to my readers to examine the work itself to which I am in a great degree indebted for these. remarks.

« PreviousContinue »